In the past, most items of luggage, such as those used for overnight travel, were formed of stiff or rigid material as rigid enclosures. Similarly, items of luggage used to carry papers, personal items and other materials to be kept close at hand, particularly when using public transportation, such as airplane or trains, typically referred to as briefcases, where also either made of stiff or rigid material as rigid enclosures, or of rather stiff material such as leather with some flexible portions to permit expansion and contraction. More recently, both types of luggage mentioned above have been formed as relatively unstructured enclosures made of non-rigid natural or man-made materials such as leather, canvas or nylon. The non-rigid material forming the enclosure is assembled to provide luggage of a particular shape. In some cases, a rigid framework is provided to maintain the desired shape of the luggage.
A further development in luggage industry has been the use of wheeled luggage for checked baggage, carry-on baggage and some business cases. For the purposes of this discussion, the term “business case” may include cases designed to hold and transport portable computers. Luggage of this type typically includes wheels and an extendable handle, so that the user can pull the case along on its wheels, without having to bear its full weight. Additional items may be supported by the handle assembly or attached to the case itself, to ease the burden of the user when moving through airport concourses or along city sidewalks. Examples of such additional items are garment bags and other business cases.
The most commonly available luggage of this type has wheels and extendable handle permanently attached to the luggage. When luggage of this type is not being transported on its wheels, the extendable is retracted. When this arrangement is included as part of the design of a business case, the bulk and weight of the case, with its integrated wheel and handle assembly, is are often cumbersome and uncomfortable to carry.
For instance, the same case may be used during business trips and while commuting between home and office. On a business trip the integrated handle and wheel assembly is a blessing; on a commuter train, the bulk and weight of the assembly may be a curse. When such a business case or backpack is carried by shoulder straps or handles, the typically unpadded structure of the retracted handle and wheel assembly can irritate the user's rib cage.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a luggage system consisting of a case and a wheel and handle assembly which may be readily secured to the case when needed and removed when not needed. Further, it would be desirable to provide the readily removable wheel and handle assembly and the case with complementary devices for securing them to each other. It would be further desirable that the removable wheel and handle assembly and the case be of complementary design, so as to be of pleasing appearance when secured to each other. Finally, it would be desirable that the wheel and handle assembly provide extra strength to the case, particularly when it is fully packed and heavy.